Pinel Island Excursion????

[charlotte61]

has anyone done this excursion? is it worth it or should we just do our own thing???

thanks for the responses in advance!

GO 'CANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


http://www.caneshockey.com/images/snapshots/05-28-02/053102front_DET.jpg

[evamelissa]

Hi...

..My two sons and I did this last May.....Not happy at all...the snorkling was not very good...this was their first snorkling experience, and they were disappointed....I do have to say that the bus ride over was interesting...the gentleman who led the excursion was very informative and helpful...but not what I had intended to get out of this tour......

Melissa

[Dave_from_Marietta]

I have seen very few positive responses about this excursion. Most responses have been middle-of-the-road or outright negative. You might want to consider something else.

[JLSE50]

We have snorkeled three times. All three were very different experiences and enjoyable in their own ways.

Pineal Island snorkeling is shallow and sandy bottom. The fish that are there are close because they cannot go deep. They encourage you to not touch bottom but if anyone is spooked by deep water under them, this would be a good trip.

The guide on the bus was very entertaining.

We saw parts of the island where people live, not just the part "fixed up" for tourists. We came home with a new appreciation for how blessed we are in the US. A village could live in our house. One family per room and share the kitchen.

It also reinforced our resolve to NOT bargain with the locals when we bought anything at a street-side booth. Our payment enabled them to put food on the table and pay their children's school fees. (In many countries a child cannot go to school unless he has his own paper, pencils, books, uniforms, etc.) Bargaining them down would only limit their families. I could lose a dollar or two accidently out of my wallet and not notice, so why not pay a bit more for a necklace or t-shirt and make it possible for the family to live a little better.

Jan :earsgirl:

[dznymom1]

I'm so happy to see this thread. We were considering Pinel Island for this August. We did the Golden Catamaran last summer and absolutely loved it, but we really want to try something different this time. Pinel Island sounded good, but I had seen surprisingly few comments about it on the boards. Back to the drawing board, I guess :)

Any comments on the Shipwreck Cove snorkel Tour? We are doing Coral World & Coki Beach again in St Thomas, so we sort of wanted to do something more unique in St Maarten.

Thanks,

[BalooCA]

I did this excursion a couple of years ago. It's a long hot bus ride then you have to take a ferry to Pinell Island (like a water bus really). If you have any snorkling experience and that's what you are going for you will likely be disatisfied. As said before the water is shallow and the only reason the fish come is because the guides take out food. I'm a bit surprised that this excursion is still being offered. It's not that the guides are bad, and the location is ok for lounging but this is not for snorkling enthusiasts. Maybe it's just mis-billed. It's really a better excursion for a family with little kids or novice snorklers. Mom can lounge on the beach and Dad can take the little ones out in shallow water (or visa versa). But you won't get a real adventure here.

[DARWIN91]

Not impressed with Pinel. Beach was nice - snorkeling was not good.